A MASSIVE facelift is being planned for historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Philippine Sports Commission Chair Patrick Gregorio revealed plans to install a retractable roof for the venue in Manila - which, if it turns to reality, would be a first in the country.
Gregorio said initial assessment by a Spanish engineering firm viewed the project to be feasible, since the Rizal Memorial Coliseum was originally an outdoor venue when it was built nine decades ago for tennis competitions.
“Marami na pong engineers ang nagpunta diyan at sinabi nila, kung gaano kadali tinayo, ganun din kadali alisin because it is not part of the original structure,” said Gregorio on Wednesday at the sidelines of the foreign coaches’ meeting at the PSC House.
The PSC Chair added installing the retractable roof will not destroy the structural integrity of the historic venue which hosted thousands of major international and local competitions like the 1954 Asian Games, 1978 FIBA World Championship, and multiple Southeast Asian Games.
“Now, with technology at present, we can have a retractable (roof). Ganun po kaganda ‘yung architectural design at pag-develop ng Rizal Memorial nung tinayo ito nung 1930s,” he said.
Retractable roof at Rizal Memorial
Several stadiums around the world, including the All-England Club where the Wimbledon is held, Melbourne Park where the Australian Open is played, and several baseball and football venues have retractable roofs
Making the Rizal Memorial Coliseum a multi-purpose facility is the goal of the project, as with that, the venue can host other sports aside from basketball and volleyball.
“Ang hangarin ng Philippine Sports Commission is makagawa ng facilities that are more flexible, so that hindi lang po puro indoor sports ang nagagawa natin sa isang facility na dinesign to be more flexible. You can just imagine na ang ganda-ganda,” said Gregorio.
The Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium, for its part, is already undergoing renovations for the country’s hosting of the East Asia Cup in December.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
